Jifiti's 'modern cold call' brought it a game-changing deal

Jifiti lets users select an item from a retailer and send it via email, even if they can’t attend the party. The recipient can customize color or size, or even redeem the voucher for a different item from that retailer. Shaul Weisband

But that is not how Jifiti won a “game changer” deal to integrate its technology as a simple gift button on Evite birthday invitations. The partnership has the potential to expose Jifiti to some 200 million users getting invitations yearly.

“It’s a very simple story, and I think there’s a lot to learn here for any entrepreneur,” said Shaul Weisband, Jifiti co-founder and chief marketing officer.

The story started with a LinkedIn connection with a senior executive at Evite. Once he accepted, Jifiti sent a simple, direct message about the product’s capabilities and a possible fit as a new function for Evite.

“It’s a modern cold call,” Weisband said.

The Internet trashbin is stuffed with the husks of rejected LinkedIn pitches. Some of the spurners in turn got burned. But this time, it worked.

“He picked up the phone and said, ‘When can you come to L.A.?’ ” Weisband said.

So what was the difference here? Remember his description of the message – short, simple and relevant. But here’s the hardest part:

“Once you have a fantastic product, that really speaks for itself,” Weisband said. “We had no connecting through (anyone). They saw what we were doing; they loved the product.”

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